Voice higher in pitch when inhaling air

[Ivenado]

this is my first post.

1- I was fooling around and was surprise that I can reach higher notes by inhaling air. Is this normal because singing occure when you breath out?

2- Anybody heard from EVTS?

[Guest]

[Nicogratouille]

Yes, I think so. The same happened to me. I was able to hit notes somewhere around soprano high C. They sounded real thin though

It's called "reverse phonation", I remember seeing a video about it on youtube.

EVTS = Estill Voice Training System?

Nick

[Ivenado]

But I was wondering why it happens this way ? Does it means that I could sing as high the other way around or since the air pushes the air the other way, the vocal cords vibrate differently ?. I am a novice into the field so I am just trying to understand what is happening.

Thank you, now I know that it wasn't my imagination.

[Quincy]

Good question. My guess is one of two things. First, it is good support (or precise metering of air) that makes it easy to do those high notes.

My speculations:

1. It is easier to support finely metered air needed up high in reverse.

2. It is harder to support finely metered air in regular phonation because of a lifetime of ingrained habits used in everyday speech. Hard to break old habits.

[Ivenado]

You mean by adding air will increase my support and that's why it gets easier singing the high notes. Sounds logic to me. But if I break the old habits like you said, means that I could actually reach the same notes with a proper technique.

Well for me it sounds right,

Thanh you

[VideoHere]

can we hear a sample of you doing this?

[Guest]

I just looked it up on Youtube (thanks Nicogratouille ). Wow, I never knew there was such a thing!!

Inhaling? Who would have thought!

[Nicogratouille]

I think support means holding back the air (instead of just letting it all out), so more support = less air, less support = more air. As you go higher up in your range, you have to use less air, hence more support.

Here's the video I was talking about:

Nick

[Nicogratouille]

thanks Nicogratouille

You're welcome! :)

[Ivenado]

That's very interesting and does answer my questions.

thank you very much for everything Nicogratouille

[Nicogratouille]

No probs:)

[VideoHere]

i really wouldn't really put too much stock in this, nor would i devote too much time on this. you're better off practising gentle, coordinated onsets and light connected tones.

lip bubbles, singing through a straw are better ways to go.

[Nicogratouille]

i really wouldn't really put too much stock in this, nor would i devote too much time on this. you're better off practising gentle, coordinated onsets and light connected tones.

lip bubbles, singing through a straw are better ways to go.

I agree, you are much better off practicing your "normal" (for lack of a better word) range. You won't need those super high notes for most songs, but they sure don't hurt.

Back to topic. Has anybody actually practiced "reverse phonation" and could tell us more about it?

I've only tried a couple of times for fun... But it seems like an interesting subject.

Nick

[Seth]

I've heard that this a way to practice getting into the whistle register. It's also cool for making scary noises.

[Quincy]

The first time I saw it was by Bret Manning and he was trying to show how to get the feel for whistle voice. I don't find a lot of value in whistle voice, but it is always cool to play around with different sounds. Sometimes that leads to new insights on other parts of your voice.

[Guest]

Well I was thinking of doing Mariah Carey... wait...I didn't mean doing...err, umm, what I meant to say...damn, never mind. :|

[VideoHere]

after doing those frisell exercises, you come to realize that you lose some of your airier (i call those falsetto) high notes and they get replaced by light connected high tones like a whistle voice.

[Guest]

The Frisell book(s) sound interesting. I guess I would first have to find out what I am. Tenor, baritone etc. Haven't a clue .

[Ivenado]

This is what I have got from a medical website: Only use for medical phonetique problems.

RESULT: there were reports of significant changes in vocal treatment during with the use of reverse phonation: ventricular distention, ventricular folds separation, increase in the fundamental frequency, mucous wave inverse movement; and it also facilitates the dynamic study of the larynx when associated with endoscopy, making it possible to have a better definition of lesion localization in vocal folds superficial lamina propria layers.

CONCLUSION:

There are few studies describing larynx behavior during reverse phonation and, for this technique to be used in a more precise and objective way, more studies are necessary in order to prove its effectiveness in practical matters.